Federal authorities are investigating a threatened shutdown of Habersham County’s government computer systems by the online activist group Anonymous. The threat was delivered in an automaton voice recording publicly posted on You Tube Sunday. It began circulating through social media Monday.
The graphically designed image of a man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask (symbol of Anonymous) accompanies the recording.
The hacktivist threat apparently was prompted by the May 28, 2014, drug raid in Cornelia that left 18-month old toddler Bounkham Phonesavanh Jr. (nicknamed Bou Bou) disfigured. The recording states:
“Greetings Habersham County Sheriff’s Department. We are Anonymous. It has come to our attention that you executed a raid on a house within Habersham County leaving a toddler defaced. You also left the family with thousands of dollars in medical bills which you refused to pay due to it being your fault in a botched raid. You have become reckless. So, Anonymous proposes that you do what you have to do to pay the family’s medical bills. Otherwise, Anonymous will seize your bank assets and take any money we can find from your corrupt government entity and we will pay for the child’s medical bills with your money. Within this attack on your organization will be many viruses and worms that will completely cripple your government. You want to throw flash grenades in toddler’s cribs. We will deploy virus after virus after virus into your computer systems and networks and we will refuse to pay to have them fixed and decrypted. Anonymous now commences Operation Shutdown. We are anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”
Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell says he was made aware of the threat Monday morning and contacted federal authorities. “They’re taking it seriously. Is it a credible threat? Sure,” he answers, “you have to take it for what they say, but until someone tries to do something there’s not a whole lot you can do.”
Terrell says federal agents are now investigating the authenticity of the recording and the investigation has been turned over to them.
County officials reportedly are very concerned about the threat but Terrell says, “We can’t stop and live in fear. We have to continue to function. That’s what they’re after is fear. You can’t let it get to you. You just have to push on.”
He says Habersham County’s IT Department is working to secure its computer systems. “It’s just kind of a wait and see thing,” Terrell says. “The only thing I can do at this moment is pray.”
